In the heart of the Midwest, you find a classic vacation spot that was created with water, geology, and one of the most talked about photographs of the 19th century. It all happened along a short stretch of the Wisconsin River. Unique rock formations started attracting tourists in the 1850’s — arriving by train, steamboats and canoes. But in 1888, the Wisconsin Dells became world famous when a teenager took a leap between two rock towers. With the old cameras of the day — using exposures that lasted several seconds, Ashley Bennett would have appeared as just blur — another forgotten smudge on the road to perfecting action photography.  But his father, Henry Hamilton Bennett,  had just developed a new camera called the Snapper. It could capture a single instant in time. “Leaping the Chasm,” became an instant hit. People poured into the Dells to see this special place where rocks and water created one visual work of art after another. You can learn more about Bennett, his work and actually tour his old studio — The H.H.Bennett Studio. It’s now a museum operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

These days the steamboats are gone, but Dells Boat Tours are taking people into the canyons of the river using specially-designed boats. You can also cruise on the river on jet boats and even old World War II Duck Boats. The Original Wisconsin Ducks go in water and dry land for a very unique experience. As special as the cruise on the water is, some of the best parts are the tours of some of the side canyons on foot. Witches Gulch — a narrow cut in the rocks is just a fantastic detour.  Just as special is a stop at Stand Rock. It was here the “Leaping the Chasm” photo was taken. As part of the tour, you can see trained dogs making the leap these days. On the water or on foot, the Upper Dells will really give your camera a workout.

These trips to the Wisconsin Dells area started just as people were beginning to travel — to take these short family vacations. The region became sort of a Disneyland of the late 18 hundreds. And all this happened just as the Circus was traveling from one small town after another. But the big traveling troops — used the region as base of operations. Ringling Brothers began in a small town just south of the Dells – Baraboo, making it their winter home along with several other circuses. Today, you can tour the old buildings, check out the classic old circus wagons, and watch a show under the big top. Circus World was created in 1959 to celebrate this special place — and is just one more stop for families on summer vacation. Oh, and don’t forget to catch the human cannonball.

The area is also the indoor water park capitol of the world — and with lots of outdoor events to take part in. The Wisconsin Dells Visitors & Convention Bureau has complete details on the area. And when you are taking a break from the water, we found a group bring the old train history alive.  The Riverside & Great Northern Railroad is a 15″ gauge railroad that runs through the forests of the Wisconsin Dells. Teams have restored the old steam engines, and between the sounds, the views and the steam, it’s a fantastic trip back to the days when the vacations around here began with many a child’s first train ride.